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Poll

Question: Should a drug test be required for those seeking unemployment and other benefits?

Applying for jobless benefits? Here, pee in a cup

By Christine Romans
CNN

(CNN)
-- If Craig Blair gets his way, anyone filing for unemployment or food
stamps must show that they are drug-free. He's a state lawmaker in West
Virginia who has introduced a bill to require random drug testing for
benefits and lays out his case on a Web site called
notwithmytaxdollars.com.

Blair and his supporters say drug use is
rampant and taxpayers are growing alarmed with how the government is
spending their money.

"The message that we're trying to send is,
first of all, we need to respect taxpayers and how their monies are
spent," the Republican said. "And drug addiction is in epidemic
proportions, and not only in West Virginia but throughout the United
States."

His bill would require random drug testing for any government assistance: welfare, jobless benefits or food stamps.

Someone
who failed the drug test would get the benefits and 60 days to clean
up. If he failed the next test, he would lose benefits for two years.

"It seems ironic that welfare and unemployment are both designed to get you back to work and everything, but how is that possible if you're on drugs?" Blair asked.

Lawmakers
in 10 states are considering some type of legislation to tie the
expansion of safety-net spending to random drug testing. Similar
measures in Michigan and Arizona have failed, either struck down by the
courts or found to be too expensive.

Graham Boyd, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Drug Law Reform Project, calls it "typical political theater."

He
says the measures will be challenged in court and struck down. Random
drug testing is costly, and he called such measures "cruel" during a
recession.

"If anything, [you'd think] people would be more compassionate now that people have lost jobs," Boyd said.

But as the recession tightens its grip, momentum is growing in a
handful of states to put strings on the vast expansion of safety-net
spending.

According to the National Conference of State
Legislatures, 10 states (Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, California,
Illinois, Iowa, Arkansas, West Virginia, Virginia and New York) are
considering some form of legislation requiring random drug testing for
food stamps, jobless checks and other state entitlements.

It
could affect millions of Americans who are turning to expanded benefits
signed into law as part of the economic stimulus package.

According
to the Labor Department, a record 5.6 million people from all walks of
life collect jobless checks, and the government says that almost 32
million now use food stamps.

Ron Haskins of the centrist Brookings Institution takes issue with lumping jobless benefits with other state benefits.

Critics
also say that these measures don't address drug treatment, the costs of
administering the tests or privacy concerns, and that they could
prevent drug users from seeking benefits.

But lawmaker Blair said
he has been inundated with support for his bill and says epidemic drug
use and a worsening economy means it's time for some "tough love."

It's the intersection of several issues -- drug abuse, the recession and bailout overload -- and has generated passionate debate among CNN viewers.

Angie:
"If we're going to drug test American citizens who receive
taxpayer-funded services, then I'm assuming these drug tests will be
administered to the CEOs of AIG, Citi, Wells Fargo and Bank of America
as well. Shouldn't the CEO, who receives trillions of taxpayer dollars,
be held to the same standard of accountability as the unemployed?"

Ron:
"Monies would be better spent on cutting out the sources. The concerns
over Mexico's drug cartels would be better invested than random
screening of welfare recipients. ... Address the problems, not the
symptoms."

Bob: "I get more than a little disturbed when I read
that unemployment benefits are considered by some right-wingers to be
'taxpayer-funded handouts.' Handouts? Really? Hmmmm. Seems to me that
most people pay, oh, I don't know, unemployment taxes when they are
working so they have a safety net if they lose their jobs."

Albert:
"Not unless they intend to offer rehab/recovery/counseling if
applicants test positive. Will they be screening for alcoholism or
gambling addiction? What about nicotine addiction?"

Tami: "I'm in favor. I've also been drug tested for my job. A
stipulation for receiving unemployment benefits is that you are
actively seeking employment. A person can't be too serious about their
job search if they are high."

But Blair said, "You've got to keep in mind to that there is only
a limited supply of money out here, and this is not going to hurt
anybody that's not doing illicit or illegal drugs. And the fact is that
if we can get this people off of the drugs and make it so they're
work-ready, that will help us in West Virginia."

ditto.. (also for food stamps if you have money for drugs you should also have for food)

Quoting Brandie_xo:

It's a reasonable request to get drug tested when you seek employment. Why not when you seek unemployment?

I'm Agnostic ... also sometimes I don't make sense ... I'm just a woman.. I'm not rich ,I get wic but not food stamps .I live in a ghetto side of town but I love having extra money at the end of the month!! I love eBay .. love going to swapmeet's ..I have two kids boy 5 and a 2 year old girl!! edit: we live on the ghetto side of town because even with the money left over we could not afford to live on a better side of town!!!

I already saw a post like this in the Answers section where 90% of the people agreed with it and thought it was great. Looks like that's where it's going here too..... *sigh*.

Why make life harder on people who just lost their jobs and let rich people do all the drugs they want? You can't just pick on one group of people because they are the easiest to pick on. What's going to happen to these people's kids if they can't get unemployment? Does it help a drug addict to quit their addiction if they're left with no income and put out on the street? I think not. How much is this going to COST the government to enforce in an economy that's already gone to shit? I'm sorry, what people do with their own time is their business. I am for legalizing drugs. Alcoholism doesn't help you get a job either, and no one's going to test for that. It's ridiculous. Some of the drugs they WILL test for are less harmful than alcohol!

If people have to take drug test in order to keep working, and keep putting money into the system.

Then it makes sense if you are receiving money from the system, that you should be able to pass as well.

BUT>>>>>>>>>>>

I believe all legislatures should have to be drug tested as well.. They make and pass these laws . They should be held to the same standard.. If my husband has to take a piss test for his job, then my congressman, my representatives, my senators and yes even my President should have to as well.

I already saw a post like this in the Answers section where 90% of the people agreed with it and thought it was great. Looks like that's where it's going here too..... *sigh*.

Why make life harder on people who just lost their jobs and let rich people do all the drugs they want? You can't just pick on one group of people because they are the easiest to pick on. What's going to happen to these people's kids if they can't get unemployment? Does it help a drug addict to quit their addiction if they're left with no income and put out on the street? I think not. How much is this going to COST the government to enforce in an economy that's already gone to shit? I'm sorry, what people do with their own time is their business. I am for legalizing drugs. Alcoholism doesn't help you get a job either, and no one's going to test for that. It's ridiculous. Some of the drugs they WILL test for are less harmful than alcohol!

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